The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-10-07

SOUer iuu j Was kdpiu company WlQ'
boat over to Queenstown tofetch
the praste, an some women promis-
ed to come to our house wild the
praste an Larry. l wouldn't
have. dared let me father walk
along the river path il he'd
been stupid drunk, but he was only
drunk, and that means as clear-head-
ed as a lawyer, SO l thought there was
no dapger-an' 10 more there wasn't
Tor him. Well, we got along about
half way, wild him cursin' mither for
dyin' an me for not dyin', whin he
give me a fearful shove in the back,
an over | wint. an the breath was
knocked out av me body before / had
time to scream.
"Well, whin at last Larry an the
praste an the women came over the
fields an got to our house, they
found me poor mither had got tired
av waintin' for us, and had died alone,
wild no one to say a prayer or close
her eyes. Thin they were scared an
wint back over the path. There
they found my father snorin' like a
hog, an carin' nc more about mither
an me than nothin' at all-perfectly
u~nconsarned. 1t was an hour before
Larry got down to the brink, wild his
hands bleeding an his clothes in
rage, an found me lynn across a
rock, drenehed wild the rain,
an me feet hangin' in the
wather. 1t was part sv me bad luck
that i hadn't rolled off an been
drowned, for whin, after hours av
heard work, they got me up an put
me on a bed. / was bruised from head
to foot by the stones and trees I'd
lodged against, an wan av me legs
was that broken an twisted an swol-
len that We cudn't tell shin from calf,
Me mither was buried before ] came to
senses, and me father was buried
along wild her-he'd caught a cold an
q fever out in the rain an so he died,
an q good thing. too.
"Nell,I whit to the hospital, an the
docthors said I'd niver stand MOI
stand MOI walk again. It's my belafe
that thin docthers mended me leg a
dozen times an thin broke it for the
plisure av curin' it over again. Amy
ow,there l stayed for two long years,
while Larry was mourningm me asgood
us dead, an gittin' IN q terrible way
av drinkin'. While l had a bad spell
he'd drink to drown his grief; whin l
was betther he'd drink from Joy, an
betwane the two he kept at it pretty
much all the time. But at last | was
we'll, barrin' the hurt leg was six inches
shorter than the other, an thin Larry
said if I'd only have HIM niver anoth.
er dhrop would he touch. So van day
near sunset. whin the clouds were as
yellow as butter an the river the col
or of gold, we rode across to Queens
ton an we're married. Larry looked
as handsome as q picter.
"And you, too, I've no doubt"
said /.
"May be So" admitted Mrs. Null
vady. II had o white dress on, an
its lucky l had, for comm home Lar
ry was q bit screwed, an managed to
upset the boat. We cud both swim,
an we got out all right, boat an ali;
but if I'd worn a stiff dress it I'D been
spoiled.
"Well. Larry an l lived together
almoss q year in peace and quiet. He
drank q little all the while, but it niv.
er made him hateful, and nary cross
word did l git av him as long as he
lived. Tibet was the happy time of
my life. 1t was June that Mickey, me
baby. was born, and whin he was
three days old he was christened an
we had a grand party in the evenin'.
Larry was quite wild wild pride an
whiskey, and whin the women had
fixed me an the baby up comforta-
BILE for the night an Everybody had
gone home, nothin' would do the
poor drunken loon but he must dance
another Jig. An allIcud say wouldn't
stop him, an wild a little glass lamp
in his hand he began whoopin' an
lunpin' like crazy man. Whisht-go-
roo! all av a sudden he stumbled an
fell across the foot av me bed, and
the lamp exploded an the burnin' oil
flew all over me face. Ne can see the
mark av it to this day.
81 covered the baby wild g. pillow,
an smothered the flames out av me
hair an nightdress wild a blanket.
An thin l tried to pull Larry cut of
the fire and smoke; but he was heavy
an l was wake, an it took ME a long
time to git hin on the fure an put
out the blaze. He cudn't open his
eyes nor his mouth, an livery hair,
was singed off his head"
1.-The neighbours heard me scream,
an came in as quick as they could.
Larry fingered along five days; the
docthors said he had breathed the
flames clean to the bottom av his
lungs. l meeself was at Deaths door
for weeks, what wild the burn and
shock an sorrow. Whinme poor hus-
band was gone ! cudn't stand Lewis.
ton any longer; I thought I'd try
Buffalo for q change"
"Lewiston's charming, but it lacks
excitement" said L.
"Troth, that wasn't exactly thefault
l found wild the place." said Mrs. Null
vany, grimly. "Well, some good peo-
Pile gave me ON money an l bought
this little house an piece of land.
That was twinty years ago, an it
wasn't worth much, for there was no
house widin q mile. ! used to go
into the city washin,' carryin'
Mickey on me back while he was little,
though me poor leg niver stopped
achin' from NORM till night. l might
have married again, but / wouldn't
hove amy mar after Larry, not if a
murracle brought him to me-not il
he came out av shS taypot wild the
tay. Mickey was me Joy and trissure,
wild his blue eyes an tangle av yellow
curls. But whin he was about tin
years ould he began runnin' away
from school, an fghtin' an smokin'
an jerkln' at me scar an me limp; an
after a year or two ho knew The taste
av whiskey betther than milk. He's
been gettin' worse liver since, mn
that's why l say ME patch av a gar
den has been my only pleasure these
tin years. God knows where it will
end, His grandfather robbed me av
me stringth, his father av me beauty,
an now I suppose MickeyH take me
life"
"Oh. don't speak SOL" Icried, quite
shocked.
"I.'s more than likely" said Mrs
Mulvany, with resignation. "Pve
had a close shave for my life twice, ye
know, and they say three times an
out. Mickey'll finish me, l expect
Ye ses me black eye? He gave
IL to me Che other NIGHT. !"